Workout plan for professional bodybuilders.
- Goal: building muscle mass and strength
- Technical complexity: difficult
- 1 – Day Split
- Duration: over 2 hours
- 3 times a week
Reg Park’s 5×5 is one of the first 5×5 workout plans that the general public has become aware of. Park’s 5×5 includes two progressively heavier warm up sets and three actual working sets with the same weight. Park recommends always increasing the set weight with the same amount of kilos / pounds. For example, let’s say when squatting set 1. is 80 kg / 175 lbs, set 2. could be 100 kg / 220 lbs followed by sets 3. – 5. being 120 kg / 265 lbs. When you manage to complete the last 3 x 5 cleanly for a couple workouts in a row, you may increase the weights by 2.5 – 5 kg / 5 – 10 lbs. Park also warned to do the set to failure.
Do this workout 3 times a week.
This workout plan includes three separate three month periods, and in between the periods you may try 1 rep maximums if you’d like. However, Park recommends a 4 day total break from gym training before moving from one stage to the next.
Phase 1:
- Added Weight Back Extension 3 x 10 reps
- Squat 5 x 5 reps
- Bench Press 5 x 5 reps
- Deadlift 5 x 5 reps
Rest 3 – 5 minutes between working sets.
Phase 2:
- Added Weight Back Extension 3-4 x 10 reps
- Front Squat 5 x 5 reps
- Squat 5 x 5 reps
- Bench Press 5 x 5 reps
- Military Press 5 x 5 reps
- High Pull 5 x 5 reps
- Deadlift 5 x 5 reps
- Standing Calf Raise 5 x 25 reps
Rest 3 – 5 minutes between working sets.
Phase 3:
- Added Weight Back Extension 4 x 10 reps
- Front Squat 5 x 5 reps
- Squat 5 x 5 reps
- Military Press 5 x 5 reps
- Bench Press 5 x 5 reps
- Barbell Bent-over Row 5 x 5 reps
- Deadlift 5 x 5 reps
- Dumbbell One Arm Shoulder Press 5 x 5 reps
- Barbell Curl 5 x 5 reps
- Barbell Lying Triceps Extension 5 x 5 reps
- Standing Calf Raise 5 x 25 reps
Rest 2 minutes between working sets.
As you may have noticed, this workout plan is a really high volume plan so the duration of a workout might be 2 – 3 hours.
In order to recover successfully, Park recommends to sleep and eat a lot. Park’s diet contains milk, eggs, steak, orange juice, salad, protein powder, wheat germs and liver tablets. I recommend to use some kind of workout boosters when working out with such a physically demanding workout plan such as this one. (Many workout boosters contain stimulants so if you happen to have hypersensitivity to caffeine or heart symptoms/problems, check over the products carefully before buying them).
Need a training diary?
If you want to save your time and support this site, you can buy a training diary below (printable image and excel sheet). By using training diary, you can track your progress and maintain your motivation and you don’t need to remember the exercises by heart.
Training diary as an excel sheet and printable picture.
Training diaries as an excel sheets and printable pictures.
Interested in long term muscle building plan also? Consider the bundle below.
Super Gains 6-Month Plan and all myworkoutplans.net training diaries bundle:
See my results with Super Gains plan below.
Looking for a different type of workout plan?
Source: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/reg_parks_5x5_program
